Blog

Top 4 Misperceptions of Mass Shootings and Mental Illness

Mental illness misperceptions have run wild in the wake of the latest mass shooting in Parkland, Florida. Here are the Top 4 misperceptions of mass shootings and mental illness.

Common Misperceptions

Mass shootings by people with serious mental illness represent the
most significant relationship between gun violence and mental illness.

People with serious mental illness should be considered dangerous.

Gun laws focusing on people with mental illness or with a psychiatric
diagnosis can effectively prevent mass shootings.

Gun laws focusing on people with mental illness or a psychiatric diagnosis
are reasonable, even if they add to the stigma already associated
with mental illness.

﻿﻿﻿

Evidence-Based Facts

Mass shootings by people with serious mental illness represent less
than 1% of all yearly gun-related homicides. In contrast, deaths by
suicide using firearms account for the majority of yearly gun-related
deaths.

The overall contribution of people with serious mental illness to violent
crimes is only about 3%. (1) When these crimes are examined in detail,
an even smaller percentage of them are found to involve firearms.

Laws intended to reduce gun violence that focus on a population representing
less than 3% of all gun violence will be extremely low yield,
ineffective, and wasteful of scarce resources. Perpetrators of mass
shootings are unlikely to have a history of involuntary psychiatric hospitalization.
Thus, databases intended to restrict access to guns and
established by guns laws that broadly target people with mental illness
will not capture this group of individuals.

Gun restriction laws focusing on people with mental illness perpetuate
the myth that mental illness leads to violence, as well as the misperception
that gun violence and mental illness are strongly linked.

Stigma represents a major barrier to access and treatment of mental
illness, which in turn increases the public health burden.

The above information is an excerpt from an article written by James L Knoll IV, M.D. & George D. Annas, M.D., M.P.H. and published on the American Psychiatric Association Publishing. To read the full article, click here.

Comments(2)

Lisa Keipert says:

February 22, 2018 at 8:21 PM

On behalf of the “president,” republicans, and the morally bankrupt and completely despicable NRA, I apologize to those who suffer from mental illness. So sorry you are the scape goats for this pure evil agenda.

Jim Smith says:

March 29, 2018 at 9:16 PM

The issue here is civil rights. Its just as important as the Montgomery Bus Boycott where Martin Luther King earned his chops. The proposals out there amount to harassment and discrimination against gun owners. This is oppression. It is someone putting their thumb on gun owners and saying “You are unworthy. This is bigotry.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT

Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.